Advocacy LLM Degree

Advocacy LLM Degree

Program overviewStudents will complete 24 credits of coursework over a period of one or two years. Courses will combine lectures, faculty demonstrations, and student presentations, including simulated depositions, jury trials, oral arguments, arbitrations, and mediations. The program will provide an opportunity for both aspiring and experienced litigators to develop and perfect their skills.

Prospective studentsThis program is suited to both recent graduates who wish to sharpen the litigation skills they developed in a J.D. program, and those who have been in practice and wish to refocus their careers towards litigation.

Compliment to our J.D. Advocacy Certificate ProgramLoyola's advocacy certificate is a way for J.D. students to set themselves apart from other J.D students by committing themselves to developing litigation skills. The LL.M. program begins where the J.D. certificate program leaves off, offering a chance to hone litigation skills at a higher level, and to take courses which cover the litigation process in a more in-depth manner. If students who have received their J.D. at Loyola have taken some of the elective LL.M. courses, we may allow some of those credits to count towards their LL.M.

Curriculum24 credit hoursFull-time Students: 1 Year; Part-time Students: 2 Years All students must complete 12 credits of required courses, listed below. The remaining 12 credits must be completed from a list of elective Advocacy courses. Different courses will be offered each semester.

Required courses:

Advanced Evidence (2 credit hours)This course offers an in-depth study of three important areas in the presentation of evidence at trial: character (e.g., habit, routine and prior bad acts, as well as traditional character traits), hearsay, and expert testimony.

Advanced Trial Practice (4 credit hours)This course will teach students the law and techniques used during the trial process. The course will instruct students and require them to simulate jury selection and voir dire, opening statements, witness examinations, exhibits, objections, and closing statements.

Advanced Alternative Dispute Resolution (3 credit hours)This course will cover the substantive and procedural elements of the various forms of alternative dispute resolution techniques in the United States. This course will cover arbitration, negotiation, mediation, mini-trials, non-binding arbitration using legal assistance, and the role of counsel in each of these processes. A significant amount of class time will deal with mediation, as well as both administered and non-administered arbitration. The class will address established principles of arbitration law, the various types of arbitrations, the rules governing arbitration, the role of counsel in the processes, as well as the power, responsibilities, and ethical requirements of both mediators and arbitrators. The course will combine a traditional lecture format with practical experience designed to provide the student both a strong substantive basis in mediation and arbitration, as well as clinical experience with several mock mediations and arbitrations interspersed during the course term.